


Someone worth following

by halfeatenmoon



Category: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016), Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Original Trilogy
Genre: Canon divergence - everyone lives, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-03
Updated: 2019-05-03
Packaged: 2020-02-18 12:13:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,540
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18699385
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/halfeatenmoon/pseuds/halfeatenmoon
Summary: For the first few days after the fall of Scarif, Jyn slept.





	Someone worth following

**Author's Note:**

  * For [saiditallbefore](https://archiveofourown.org/users/saiditallbefore/gifts).



For the first few days after they returned from Scarif, Jyn slept. She'd held on to consciousness to get herself and Cassian back to the beach and had been ready to lie down and close her eyes forever when Bodhi turned up in another stolen ship and Baze stepped out to gather them both up and haul them on board. She held on for dear life as the ship made its wobbling, high speed escape, riding the shockwaves of Scarif's explosion at the Death Star's strike - her father's work, just as much as the plans were - when she succumbed to sleep. When she did wake, she slunk around the Rebel base like a ghost; occasionally eating something, but mostly hovering at the edges of rooms, listening to conversations she couldn't bring herself, and then slinking away to go back to sleep.

The others seemed unaffected. Cassian and K2 were old hands at the Rebel base. Bodhi took to flying an X-Wing as quickly as he took to flying anything else. Baze was always going to be at home with a group that gave him a gun and some Imperials to point it at. Chirrut fit in surprisingly well with the Rebel command, and was constantly followed around by the young Jedi that everyone was talking about. It was kind of pathetic.

Jyn wished she had someone worth following around. Or at least a reason to get out of bed.

She decided to make an effort one morning. She got up, actually visited the fresher and got herself some clean clothes. Then she ventured out to find Cassian, who was working hard on some star maps with K2SO making insulting comments behind him.

"You're up," he said, his eyes warm, and gave her a quick hug.

"I am. I thought it was about time I rejoined the living." She stretched and looked over his map. "So, what's up?"

"We're trying to track down the Death Star plans."

Jyn stared at him in shock. Cassian was still staring at the map, and it took him a few moments to notice her silence. "Are you okay?"

"Why does anyone need to track down the plans?"

"I'm sorry, I thought you must have heard by now." He frowned. "The Empire caught up with the ship transporting the disc, but it wasn't on board when they brought them in. Nobody knows where they are."

Jyn took a deep breath and went back to bed.

 

It was impossible not to notice when the Princess returned, though. The everyday background noise in the base seemed higher-pitched with excitement everywhere she went. In every corner she drifted, around, she heard the murmurings about her capture and heroic escape, and the bold new plan to take down the Death Star, even with the terrifying news that they were all in danger. Jyn was determined not to be impressed.

The moment she saw Leia walk across the hangar floor, though, Jyn couldn't keep her eyes off her. How could _anyone_ keep her eyes off her? For all Leia had suffered in the last week, she walked like she was in command, like it had affected her no more deeply than to make her even more determined to bring the Empire down. It was like staring at the sun, except that it was hard to look away.

"Impressive, isn't she," Chirrut said, at her shoulder, making Jyn start and then glare at him.

"I suppose someone might think so," she said, trying to pretend her heart wasn't racing just watching her. "She's the one who lost the plans. The plans we all risked our lives for."

"She got the plans back. You both brought those plans to the Alliance. And she risked her life for them, too."

"Yeah, yeah, we're so alike. I bet she's insufferable in person."

"I'm sure someone could introduce you two after the battle, if you like."

"Oh, shut up," Jyn mumbled, and stalked off to go back to bed.

 

Jyn was happy the Death Star was gone, she really was. And she supposed she was glad it hadn't blown them out of the sky the way it did to Alderaan. She just didn'f feel like she had any right to join in the party. Really, she'd done nothing. People had risked their lives to save the galaxy and she had spent the last week lying around doing nothing. She'd tried to join in, hugging Chirrut and Baze the moment the station went down. She was genuinely relieved to see Cassian and Bodhi had both survived, and there was nothing faked about her enthusiasm there. But as soon as that was over, she felt more and more out of place. The moment her friends' attention had moved on to another hug, she found herself sitting in a corner, letting the party rage without her.

She hadn't expected anyone to sit down beside her.

"I hope you don't mind," said Princess Leia Organa. "I just wanted some quiet."

"Right. I can understand that."

"So what's your reason for quitting the party?" the woman said. Her smile was full of amusement, hinting at a hidden well of mischief that seemed out of place for someone they called Princess.

"I don't feel much like celebrating."

She nodded. "I realise you might feel like an outsider here. But you're just as much a hero to us as Cassian, or Luke Skywalker."

Jyn blinked. "You know who I am? But we never met."

"Sorry, it was rude of me to do that without introductions. I'm Leia Organa."

Jyn snorted. "It seems pointless when you already know who I am."

"Nice to meet you, Jyn Orso." Leia rolled her eyes as she said it. "It's an honour."

"It should be! I stole those plans and they saved the galaxy!"

Leia laughed. "Exactly! You should be honoured."

Her smile was too warm and too genuine to bear. Jyn could only meet her eyes for a moment before she turned away, trying to ignore the heat rising in her cheeks.

"I don't know how long I can stay around here," she said, at last. "I... thank you. I want people to... remember me. I like that people care. But I don't know what I'm good for, now. I don't know what I can do. All I've done since we got back here was to sleep all day. Even at this party, I'm a dead weight. I don't know how much longer people will want me around."

"Well, I want you here. To tell you the truth, I like that you're someone who isn't inclined to celebrate. It's good to have someone like that around."

Jyn raised an eyebrow. "You've been partying all night."

"That's leadership. It's not who I am." She sighed. "i was thrilled when we beat the Death Star, of course I was, and so proud of Luke, and so glad that Han came back, and it was all just... just dizzying. But it's been a long, long couple of days. I'm tired. And we've lost so much. I can only celebrate so much before I remember everyone who died."

Jyn cleared her throat. "I heard. I'm sorry about your planet. And your father. I met Bail, and he seemed..." she struggled for something to say, but although she wanted to say something to comfort Leia, she was too drained to find something she could mean. So she looked to the woman beside her, instead.

"Inspirational," she said, at last. "That's what Bail seemed to be."

"He was," Leia said, fondly. "I heard you lost your father recently, too. I'm sorry."

Jyn gave a listless shrug. "I lost him long ago. I only had him back for a moment."

"A moment can mean something," Leia said, thoughtfully. "But it only means something if you want it to."

They sat together in silence for a few moments, before Leia stood up and groaned like the old woman she behaved like instead of the young woman she was.

"So, Jyn Erso," she said, looking down at her. "I'm tired, and I've lost a lot, and it was good to sit with someone who understands the need for a quiet corner. I'm glad I met you, and I think I'm going to make like you did and sleep for three days." She cocked her head to one side. "So would you like to join me?"

Jyn had admired her before, when she was small and fresh off being kidnapped, and stepped right in front of a room full of soldiers who snapped to command at her word. She was younger than Jyn, and she led an army fearlessly into battle to defy an enemy far bigger than herself. Jyn didn't think she belonged in an operation like this. She was no leader, and she couldn't follow anyone properly, either. Except when she looked at Leia, all that power and determination in one young woman, she thought she'd be willing to follow her.

_What the hell, I've got nothing left to lose,_ Jyn thought. With a quick glance at their neighbours to see that nobody was watching, she leaned over and kissed her. For once, she was feeling pretty good about deciding to go back to bed.


End file.
